The Portland daily press., 1887-12-14

General Manager Tucker reports as fol-
lows:
The total number Of passengers transport
ed for the was ], ,354, ,977 an Increase over the
previous year OF S6,568, or 6.83 per centum.
The total amout Of freight transported over
the main line and branches for the year was
SS3, 1923 tons; an increase over the previous
year OF 1852 tons, or 22I per centum. The
earnings for passengers were 81, 1884, ,226.41.
The earnings for the transportation Of
freight were 81, 500, ,6S7.47. The earnings for
transportation Of mails, baggage, express,
&C., were S158. 1915. The total gross trans
portation earnings for the twelve months
The number of miles run by passenger
trains was t.022, 1853, and by freight trains
749, 45l, and by working trains, switching.
&c, 7S4,5lO, making the total number OF
miles run 2,556, ,104.
AT Belgrade Stream, Benton street. Pitts
field, Newport, Damascus, Sowadabseo0k,
HermOn Pond and Hampden road, new iron
plate girders have been erected, making IL
spans In ALL
At Crummetts, near Waterville, a new iron
span has been erected ninety-four feet three
and one-fourth inches in length. At Maran-
acOok new iron span one hundred and eight
feet four and one-half Inches over all has
been erected to replace the easterly span of
the old wooden lattice girder bridge which
has been in service since the railroad was
originally constructed The remaining five
spans are to be filed and this work Is now
being carried on and will be completed early
In the coming year. When finished there
will be at this lplace five hundred feet Of
solid earth embankment and more than 100
feet Of substantial iron bridge, In the place
OF six hundred feet Of wooded bridge. AT
Piscataqua river, near Falmouth station, an
old arch has been removed and substantial
stone abutments have been erected for re-
ception of an iron girder bridge to accommo-
date two tracks. The abutments at Cumber-
land junction have been rebuilt and length
.oA md iron offrd dora 4rnA ..a 20
vide for four tracks.
To accommodate the second main line
track new iron, lattice girder. deck span,
having total length OF 1864 feet, has been
erected at the crossing Of Presumpscot River
in the town Of Falmouth. East OF Gardiner
passenger station, the railroad crosses the
Cob0ssec0ntee Stream, and at this place iron
deck plate girders have been substituted for
the wooden Howe truss which formerly car
ried the trains. By using deck bridge In
stead of a through bridge, as formerly, we
have been enabled to extend the passenger
platform farther east, which extension has
proved Of great convenience. The st. Croix
River at Vanceb0ro forms the eastern boun-
dairy Of the State and the centre of its chan
mel Is the extreme eastern limit Of our line.
The bridge at this place is maintained at
joint expense Of this company and the New
Brunswick Railway Company, and a new
iron, through span has replaced the wooden
Howe truss, which was old and too light for
the heavy traffic at that point. BY the erec-
tiOn Of the new bridge at Augusta four spans
of iron bridge were released. These spans
having been materially shortened and ar
ranged so as to give square floor system.
and thus made first class structures, have
been re-erected, three Of them at Orono and
one at OldtOwn replacing old wooden spans.
At both OrOno and Oldtown the piers and
abutments were built to receive these recon-
structed spans, and we now have bridges at
these points which are first class In every re-
spect. Four overhead bridges have been re-
hut1 and axrta al va "a hovQ "a
on many other of our bridges.
Early In the year preparations were COM
meneed for extending the double track from
Westbrook Junction so far east as Cumber-
land Junction. For this purpose the Fal-
mouth station twas moved some thousand
feet towards the west, such culverts and
cattle passes as had not already been extend
ed were heightened and the necessary ex-
cayations and embankments were made.
June 26th our trains commenced running
under the summer arrangement and the use
OF the double track was begun at the same
time. At Augusta the old car and paint
shops, whose use has been discontinued,
have been removed, thus making more room
for tracks at this point and giving much bet
ter facilities for handling the business Of the
road. A new station has been built at River
side on the east side Of the track and the old
buildings have been removed; this change
opens up the curve at that place and obviatus
the necessity Of crossing the tracks to reach
the station. At Wateryille the extensive
lOCOmOtlNt anu car SuOp3 WUOtt tEtctIOu
was commenced last year have been COM
pleted, and since July have been In success
full operation. The main buildings so erect
ed are as follows: A machine shop 100 feet
wide and 800 feet long; car shop. 3s5 feet
centre 60 by 70 feet; a paint shop 200 feet
long and so feet wide, and blacksmith and
boiler shop 275 feet long and % feet wide.
Connecting these various buildings Is
transfer table which runs In a pit
7oS feet lOu0 The old Abandoned
machine shops have been removed
and their former site largely graded, thus
aff0rding valuable room for station facilities.
Extensive changes have heen made In tracks
to accommodate the new shops and much
new track has been laid. A new three-pit
engine house, coal shed. tank house and iron
turn table have been erected at SkOwhegan
on the south side Of the river, and new
buildings have been removed, thus enabling
the yard to be enlarged and remOdeled. The
station buildings at Milford and Winn have
been moved and repaired. At Belfast the
passenger station has been moved hack and
has received extensive repairs, a new avn
ing has been built, the platforms have been
renewed and we now have at that point very
creditable station accommodations. For
many years the passenger business at Lewis
ton lower station has been suffering from
want Of adequate e0nveniences. The sta
tion building originally constructed too small
and of poor design had become so ill-adapt-
eQ IOT the pufpOoc tOl ~ Wdo uoCu
that some immediate relief was necessary.
To remedy these evils portion OF JOnes's
block owned by the company was finished
off for waiting rooms, the main track was
extended farther north, new awning was
built and the approach was graded and
paved. By these improvements excellent
facilities for handling the passenger busi-
ness were secured and no farther outlay In
that direction will be required for years at
this point. In order to supply water for the
limited express trains three track tanks were
fitted up, at Dresden, Burnham and Mine
Meadow, between Lewiston and Greene, and
this method Of securing water was In sue
cessful operation while the limited trains
were run. On various portions OF the line
cattle passes and culverts have been built
and considerable masonry has been laid for
bridges, foundations, retaining walls, &c.
The stone for these purposes has been fur
nished from the Company's quarry at North
Jay, and the total so supplied during the
year has amounted TO 1856 cubic yards.
The following materials were used for
repair and construction: Steel rails, 5,1S5
tons; iron rails, 313 tons; cross ties, 100, 723;
Joint plates, 6SS, ,245 pounds; track spikes,
252. $50; track bolts and nuts, o, ,76S.
Our locomotive equipment has been In
creased during the year by ten engines. built
by the Portland Company, passenger,
baggage, l combination car and plows.
Our equipment Is now as follows:
Locomotives (hfty-seven OF which are equip
ped with train brakeS..... %
Passenger ears %
Baggage, mali ana express ears, ,........... 30